helton



nitrf tetcs strut' fr M. W. HEL'INA AND p J. H. REDFIELD, OF 'BLOOMINGTON INDIANA. Leners Patent No. 73,247, dated .Emmy 14, 186s.

IMPROVED AUTOMATIG'ALARM FOR GRIST-MILLS.

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l TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONGERN:

Beit known that we, M. W. HELTON and J. H. REDFIELD, of Bloomington, in the county ci' Monroe, and State of Indiana, have invented an Automatic Alarmrfor Grinding-Mills; and we do hereby declare that the `following is a full, clear, and exact description thereoi`,lreference being had ,to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- I i Figure, l is an velevation of one side of the automatic'alarm.

Figure 2 is a top view lofthe same, with the bell detached.

Figure 3 is an elevation of one end of the machine.k

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section, taken vertically through :the machine, in the direction indicated by the course of red line z :l: in iig. 2. n l

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The object of this invention is to apply an automatic alarm-apparatus to grist-mills, which is so constructed that it will give notice to the miller when to change the sacks of one customer `for the sacks. of the succeeding one. '.lhe usual method hitherto practised is to change the bags at the'time the grist is changed at the hopper `or burrs, by which method the chop'between the burrs and the flour-spout is made of the grainof the preceding customer, and, in changing the bags, as `hitherto practised by. millers, the iirst lour delivered in the bags is of the grain of the preceding grist, and thelast of each grist leaves alike amount for the next one, and so on.

Our invention provides for giving to each person the `flour or meal from his own grain, so that there shall not be a mixture orn diii'erent kinds orqualities of ilour in the mill or sacks, as will be hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to vunderstand our invention, we will describe its construction and operation. v v

In the accompanying drawings, A represents theframe or foundation, upon which the several parts cornposing the alarm are applied and supported. B is the driving-shaft, which carries on its outer end `a belt-wheel, B', and on its inner end a worm-wheel, e, the threads of whichengage witl' and communicate a slow motion to the tangent-wheel b, shown -in iigs. 1 ande. This tangent-wheel is keyed upon a longitudinal shaft, C, which has its outer end hearing in a standard, c,..of the metallic frame A', and its inner endbearing in a lever, D, and which has a worm-screw, keyed upon it that engages, at proper times, with a tangent-wheel, E. This shaft C is so applied to its outer standard-bearing e that 4itsinner end can rise and fall with the movements of the lever D, and thereby admit` of the engagement .ofworm-wheel c7, with its tangent-wheel E, or the disengagement of these'parts at pleasure., Lever D has an eye, D, formed on one side of it, as seen in fig. 2, through which the bell-standard F passes, which standard is secured to the frame of themachine, and carries upon its upper end a bell, G, of the form shown in the drawings, or of any other suitable form or kind. Beneath the eye D" is a spring, e, which is coiled around the bell-standard., so as to press the lever D upward, and disengage the worm-wheel d from its tangent-wheel E, when said leveris released from a catch, H. The catch His pivoted to a standard of frame A, alongside of the tangent-wheel E, and it is constructed with a long arm, H', which, at certain times, is struck or acted upon bya stud,f, upon the face of said tangent-wheel. lThe catching or hooked end H is presse'dagainst the lever D, when this lever is disengaged from it, by means of a spring, g, shown in dotted lines in g. 4, so that when lever D is depressed, and the worm-wheel cZ engaged with its tangent-wheel, the catch will hook over said lever, and hold itdow-n in place. The tangeut-wheel E is keyed upon a transverse shaft, @which has its bearings in the frame A", as shown, andwhich. has applied to it a helical spring, J, a ratchet or 'index-wheel, K, and a pointer or stop-arm, L. The spring J is coiled around the shaft t, and secured to it at one end, and to the frame A at the other end, so that, by turning said shaft h, the spring J may .be wound tightly. The wheel K isiapplied loosely upon shaft t, and constructedwith a. stud or stop-pin, i, upon its outer face, against which the arm L is held by spring J, when the worm-wheel d is not engaged with its tangent-wheel E. 1 The ratchet-.teeth upon said wheel K are engaged with a pawl, m, upon frame-A', as shown in fig. 1, which pawl will hold said wheel in any desired position, and admit of the adjustmentof the wheel E, so that its stud f will act upon and release arm or catch H from its lever D in any desired given number of revolutions of the main shaft. The pawl m is provided with a. screw-pivot and clamping-plate, s, by means of which this pawl can be fixed rigidly toits support after adjusting the wheel K. On -`the inner side ofthe tangentkwheel E, a bevelled lug, 7', is secured, as-shown in figs. 3 and 4, the object of which is to trip the arm N of the hammer N', when the wheel E is released from its worm-wheel d, and allow the lspring Zto bring this hammer suddenly against itsbell G, and thereby sound an alarm. The force of the blows of hammer N can be regulated by means ofthe set-screwr 7), which is tapped-through a standard of frame A, back of the pivot of the hammer, i

as shown in iig-s. 1, 2, and 4. v

It will bevseen, from the above description, that when the wheels E and AK are properly adjusted for sounding an alarm,'at the proper times for changing the sacks,and the machine connected, by means of a belt passing around the drum B', with any movable machineryof themill, the wheel E will receive a' slow movement, in the direction indicated by the arrow in iig. 4,- until its stud freleases the lever D from its latch H, when the wormwheel d will rise, and thereby allow the spring J to turn wheel E quickly backward until the arm L strikes the stud t' on the wheel K, when it willl be arrested. At the same time, the lug r on said wheel E will trip the hammer and sound the alarm. The lever D remains in an elevated position, and holds the worm-wheel d out of gear until this lever is again depressed by hand, and caught by the latch or catch H, as above described.

The operation or mannerof using the machineis as follows: The machine being adjusted to the ruiming of the mill, the alarm is'put into gear with the driving-shaft at the moment the grist is changed at the hopper, by engaging the 'lever D withits catch, as before stated. When the driving-shaftd3 has performed the required number of revolutions, to allow all the chop to be carried out of the mill-machinery, viz, the elevators, conveyors, bolts, &c., the alarm will be sounded, which is the signal to the miller to change the sacks. Atvthe time the signal 'is given, the alarm-apparatus will be automati'callythrown out of gear, and the hand or arm L will turn back against the fixed stud t' or starting-point, in which positions the said parts will remain during the grinding of the rest of the grist.

We wish it to be' distinctly understood that the machine we have described is not adjusted to the amounts of grain passed through the mill, as the alarm or signal given has no reference to. theamount of grain in the grist, but to the amount contained in the mill-elevators, conveyors, bolts, &c.

We do not confine our invention to the precise contrivances herein described, as they may be. modified and differently arranged without departing from the principle specified. Having described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The apparatus, substantially as described, and which is. constructed so that when applied to millmachinery, and properly adjusted thereto, it will automatically give an alarm at theproper time for changing the sacks, for the purpose set forth. l

2. In combination withv alarm-mechanism and devices, which will automatically sound the alarm, and then' be disengaged from the main driving-power, substantially as shown and set forth, we claim means, substantially as described, by whichthe machine can be adjusted and set to sound the alarm at any given time, for the pur-- poses set forth.

I 3. The adjustable indexuvheel K, with tsstop z' and pawl m, or their respective equivalents, in combination with the hand or arm L upon the shaft L, and an alarn1-meehanism, operating substantially as described.`

4l. lhe vibrating lever D and catch H, in combination with the .tripping-wheel E, worm-wheel shaft C, and driving-shaft B, operating substantially as described.

5. The pawl and clamp m s, or their equ1.valents,'applied to the'wheel'K, for holding this Wheel -rfirmly in plaeewhen properly adjusted, substantially as described.v

6. Sustaining the worm-wheel shaft C at one end, by means of a lever, D, in combination with a catch, H,

and also with means for tripping this catch, when said-shaft C hasA made a given number of revolutions, substantially as described. I.

M. W. HELTON,

J. n. REDFIELD'.

Witnesses:

JOHN H. Lounnrr, 'DANIEL Gr. BROWN. 

